Balancer



Nov. 7, 1933. R NORLING 1,933,925

BALANCER Filed March 16, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l I N VEN TOR.

5 port above the placesiof Patented Nov. '7, 1933 dart-En iden nden rv'fineumatic Tloolzdo-iichicagmilllua,

J31 Qlaims.

.I nv n n Y e at s to acumen-balan e r y-a apted fo ius with p rtabl rp we i driven tools, such as electric drills and-the like, f su pe na uch to lef mlan.ov rheadisuw work, WheI-Qby l he tools when not in use will Vbeoelevated .outnof the way, yet be within. reach for being drawn-rdown to the work. r

In my -p n i app ica ion Q F -QNQ 523,164 ;52 fi b 1 1 fi e zMwit F15, 1 31, I v h w and claimed cente -balanc :in w c t a lca i-ne .re lsl. vo ldrums :each av a ne sp he eini fl trollineith turning of the -ree1s,an d for holding the tools suspended at varying elevations, as -.-when stopped at diiferent distances frorn the reel.

In accordance with jrny present invention, ,-,I provide the reel iwith a plurality 10f springsf-so constructed and arranged-that the reel :may

make a greater number of turns in the use ;of the device before the springs are completely u d u and;t u p rmit th itoclyor other..-load attached to .the cable or the reel-ito move llp and down to ;a greater .extehtthanwith the single spring arrangement. o f

A further object of my inventionis 1:0 pmw th: novel means fo zqq ne tinethe sprin s, wh y h ir t nsio ma b l-adiusteds multaneously.

A iurther vide .a simple and compact structure and .one which will efiectively serve the purpose for which'it is designed. e

Other and further objects of my invention willappear from .the following,specification taken in connection with :the accompanying drawings, ,in which- V Fig. l is a side view, withpartsbmken ,away and in section, of a balancer constructedyin a cc anc wi hmy invent n;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional View, with parts inelevation, taken on'line 22 of'Fig. 1

c Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view taken on line 3-3 of 2, to show the cable guard;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional-view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2; v

Fig. 5 is a side view of another form of *balancerto be hereinafter described; and

Fig.6 is a vertical sectional -view-taken on line 66 of Fig. 5.

In the drawings, 1 indicates the reel -or-drum of the balancer, 2 the shaft on which the reel is rotatably mounted, and 3 the support for :the shaft and housing for the reel. The support comprises two parts, an upper part 4 and a lower object of my invention v is ,to pro- (Cl. 242-107) V 4- ,.part,-5. ",lfhe nppergpartxlisdntheform of.,a

( asing: c vering thezupperihalf ofithelreel. ,{Ihe .r-xlower part 5 is in the form of ,a, U-shaped' pmember straddling the 5 lower ,-,half of ,the reel. The ;-parts, 4,.z51-are secured; togethertwhere they m t vscrews or b lts :6 i g g lu s .o

semi-oylindric bossesil, S -which provide bearings for! the iadjacent -endslof the shaft :2. ,The:1at den-fits-within-its bearing at. one siderof ithe irame. aA sleeve 9 has a rotative fitiinlthe -,bosses at the other end. of ttheoshaft, zwfthgthe sleeve surrounding theishafth-las lshownh FI-Ihe-reel 1 is madeqhollowoand' located within the same are two flat-coilsprings c10,.v -11. JIhe springs snare arranged in side a by side relation and both surround a; sleeve 12 :loosely mounted .Onithe. shaft-,2. The Sleeve.IZhasaJengthtO ixtend through-both. springs and is ;common thereto. The inner ends of both springswarc or connected stowthessleeve 12 by {keys ,1/3, 13, ,one

,foneach spring. The outer end of .theiinner p in .10 niS-mnnected: to -.the.inner surface of ithe-reel 11,.by aqrivetcorlpin114. jLhe-outer end of the router spring 11 is similarly connected to an: inwardlv-lextendinafiange 15.. at theiperiphery 10f {a barrel 16,-.locatedon the. outer side viofwsaid spring. JIhe lbarrel ,16 .hasta. hub portion (17 extending -;lat.eral1y outward .Jcherefmm .into the {sleeve- 9 :and -keyed theretolby a,,pin ,18 .as shown. B y.this connection, "the barrelllfi will he "(turned with the sleeve 9 .in the rotation thereof ibyawormprrscrew .19Xto adjust the -,tensi on of the. springs. The barrel 1'6 a stationarvin .theloperation of thefibalancer, being turned only when adjusting the tension of ,the springs With.therbarrelvIfiinitheiormof a castin the sleeve .9 is .madelnf "better material to -.-resist the wear thereon ;in the action .of the .WQIm.

The worm .19 iswrotatahly mounted in the 'upperboss '7 on the side of the casing A at the .sleeyeeand has teeth 20 which ,engagete th 21ion the'is1eeve-J19. The wormjis' providedat one end with ea-tool receiving socket 122 where- :by-the wormimaylbe turned to adiustpthe -.ten- .sion of 3 both springs through "the router 1 one'ull. This is made possible having both'lsprings connected through the sleeve ,12. The-other end inner end .of the socket or, cavity int-which the -worm-:is amounted to .prev.ent rotation .of the .Worm to .loose the tension .of the springs.

-:.'I.heannu1a.r wall:24 of the reel is provided omits-outer side with a spiral groove ,25 which leads the :cable126 von and off the reel in the of "the worm l9 seats "against :arplate "23 at Qthe turning thereof. One end of the cable is attached to the reel and the other end is attached to the frame 3. This provides a loop in the cable outside of and below the reel to support a sheave 27 carried in a block or frame 28 from which depends a swiveled hook 29.

To permit attachment of the cable to the frame, the upper member 4 thereof is provided with a lug 36 having a number of holes through which the cable end is inserted and fastened as shown in Fig. 1. This manner of attachment is claimed in my co-pending application Serial No. 523,165. The cable is attached to the reel at one end by being inserted through. holes 31 in the reel, as shown in Fig. 4. The loop 32 formed in the cable at these holes receives the end of the cable, as shown. This manner of at.- tachment is claimed in my co-pending applica-' tion, Serial No. 523,164. r

The cable carrying wall or portion24 of the -reel is tapered or inclined to the axis of the reel, as provided by the shaft 2, so as to balance portion of the frame necting the balancer the load on the cable at its different distances from the reel in the use of the device. This tapered feature is' claimed broadly in my' copending application, Serial No. 523,164.

With two springs'fcr the reel, the latter can 'make twice as many turns before the springs are wound up, and the tool or load suspended from the cable may travel twice as far up and down beforethe springs are: wound up. This is so because one spring act in advance of the other, in the tensioning of the springs to coun- "teract the load on the cable.

An attaching hook 33 is secured to the upper 3 above the reel for conto an overhead support,

either fixed or movable, as the installation may require. f v e A cable guard 34 is fastened by screws 35 to the under side of the upper part 40f the frame to keep the cable from improper winding in the groove 25 sideways, I provide plates sides of the inner spring To keep the springs from buckling 36, 3'7 on opposite 10. The plate 36 is between the springs. The barrel 16 provides a cover over the outer side ofthe outer spring. a

The reel has an annular seat 38 on its inner side for the spring 10. The plate 3'? is held in place by a shoulder 39 on theinside of the reel on the outer side of said plate. A shoulder 40 also in the reel provides'a seat for the' plate 36. The reel has a hub 41 to support the reel on the portion of the shaft 2 not encompassed by the two springs.

The bottom member or bar of the U frame 5 is provided on its under side with an abutment 42 for the sheave 2'7. This abutment is wide enough to serve as.a stop for the sheave in any shifted position of the sheave along the axis of the reel.

The balancer shown in Figs. 5 and 6 is gen- 'erally similar to the balancer shown in Figs. 1 and 2, except with respect to the reel and the abutment for the sheave carried in the loop of the cable, and such other details as will be herein referred to.

The reel 43' of the balancer shown in Figs. 5

and 6 has its cable carrying portion 44 straight,

that is, substantially reel, instead of being 46. The end of the shaft at the hub turns in the bearing 48 provided therefor in the frame 45, while the opposite end of the shaft turns in the hub 1'7 of the barrel 16. Springs 10 and 11 are located in the reel about the shaft 46 and are connected together and to the reel 43 and barrel 16 respectively, the same as before, with the barrel turnable' about the axis of the reel to adjust the tension of the springs, by a worm action, the same as in Figs 1 and 2. The reel 43 is provided at its ends with peripheral flanges 49, 49 between which the layers of the cable 50 are confined in winding on the reel. The cable carrying'portion 44 is provided in its outersurface with a suitable groove or channel 51 to accommodate the cable and serve as a guide to lead the first layer of the cable across the reel in the turning of the same. The two springs 10, 11 provide for a greater number of turns of the reel than with a single spring and thus permit a longer cable to be employed, thereby allowing for a greater distance of travel of .the'tool or load suspended from the cable to are wound up, the cable may wrap in successive layerson the reel, as shown In Fig. 6. The springs can have their tension adjusted to suspend the tool or load either close to the reel 'as when the cable is entirely wound thereon or the spring can be adjusted that the load can be suspended at a considerable distance from the reel. Thelower member 52 of the frame 45 is provided with an abutment 53 below the reel for the sheave 54 in the loop of the cable as shown in Fig. 6. A pair "of relativelylong bolts 55, 55 are inserted through the lower member 52 of the frame on opposite sides of the cable 50 and extend outward "from the frame on that side of the reel on which the cable winds and unwinds; Collars 56, 56 are mounted on the bolts andserve to prevent the cable from climbingwhen the first layer reaches an end of the reel? The collars when the cable strikesv the same will crowd the cable over and thus start i it on the next layer.

With the type of reel shown in Figs 5 and 6,

thebalancer will only support the tool at a certain point, higher low according to the adjustment of the springs. The load, however, can

be moved a cons derable distance without undue exertion'thereon, due to the fact that the two springs exert only half pressure for each revolution of the reel.

Where parts in Figs. 5 and 6 are the same as 'in-Figs- 1 and 2 like reference numerals are employed to designate them.

The' provision of two springs in the reel in both forms of balancers is an important feature of my invention, as wellas is the feature of adjusting the tension of both springs simultaneous 1y through one of them. These features enable a simple and compact balancer to be made with a relatively. long range of movement up and The frames 3 down for the load on the cable. and 45 being made in two parts, as shown, with the parts connected'together at the bearings for the shaft provides a form of construction which simplifies the assembling of the devices.

{The details of structure and arrangement of parts shown and described may be variously changed and modified without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention except as pointed out in the appendedclaims.

Iclaimas my invention:

l. 'A counter-balance of the character dehavea supporting shaft for the scribed, comprisin'g a reel adaptedto" cable wound thereon, a

reel, a plurality of springs, one acting through' the other, for turning the reel in 'a' directionto wind the cable thereon, and means independent of said shaft for adjusting the tension of the springs, said means including "a sleeve rot'atably mounted on the shaft and providing a common connector for the inner ends of the springs.

2. A counterbalance of the character desccribed, comprising a reel adapted to have a cable Wound thereon, a supporting shaft for the reel, a plurality of springs for turning the reel in a direction to wind the cable thereon, and means independent of said shaft for adjusting the tension of the springs simultaneously, said means including a sleeve rotatably mounted on the shaft within the springs and providing a common connector for the inner ends thereof.

3. A counter-balance of the character describe, comprising a reel adapted to have a cable wound thereon, a supporting shaft for the reel, a plurality of springs for turning the cable in a direction to wind the reel thereon, said reel having a cable carrying portion tapered or inclined to the axis of the reel, and means independent of the shaft for adjusting the tension of the springs, said means including a sleeve rotatably mounted on the shaft within the springs and providing a common connector for the inner ends thereof.

4. A counter-balance of the character described, comprising a reel adapted to have a cable wound thereon, a support for the reel including a shaft on which the reel is rotatably mounted, a normally stationary member rotatably carried by the support in concentric relation to said shaft, two springs for turning the reel in a direction to wind the cable thereon, said springs having their outer ends connected to the member and reel, respectively means for turning the member for adjusting the tension of the springs, and a. sleeve rotatably mounted on the shaft and providing a common connector for the inner ends of the springs whereby the latter may be tensioned simultaneously.

5. A counter-balance of the character described, comprising a reel including a shaft on which the reel is rotatably mounted adapted to have a cable Wound thereon, a support for the reel, a normally stationary member rotatably carried by the support in concentric relation to said shaft and having a laterally extending annular flange thereon, two flat spiral springs for turning the reel in a direction to wind the cable, one spring being located within said flange and having its outer end connected thereto, the other spring being located in the reel and having its outer end connected to the reel, a sleeve rotatably mounted on the shaft and provicling a common connector for the inner ends of the springs, and means for turning said member to adjust the tension of said springs. I 6. A counter-balance of the character de scribed, comprising a shaft, a support therefor, a reel on said shaft, a normally stationary barrel mounted on the shaft at one side of said reel and having an annular flange extending into the reel, two flat spiral springs surrounding said shaft for turning the reel, one spring being located in the barrel and having its outer end connected to the flange thereof, the other spring being locatedin the reel'a'nd having its outer endconnected to the' reel', a sleeve rotatably mounted on the sh'aftand providing a common connector for theinner ends of the springs, and means "for turning the barrel to adjust the tensionofthesprin'gs'.

7. A "counter-balance of" the character described, comprising a shaft, a support therefor, a reel on said shaft, a bar'rel at one side of the reel andhavi'n'g anus on said shaft, two-coil springs surrounding the shaft' for' turning the reel, said springs havingtheir outer ends 'c'onnected to the barrel and reel, respectively, a member on the shaft and connecting the inner ends of the springs, a sleeve fixed to the hub of the barrel and having worm teeth, and a worm carried by the support and engaging the teeth of the sleeve. for turning the barrel for adjusting the tension of the springs.

8. A counter-balance of the character described, comprising a reel, a support therefor, said support consisting of two parts, one part being in the form of a casing enclosing one half of the reel, the other part being in the form of a U-shaped frame straddling the other half of the reel and secured to the first part, said parts where they are secured together having bearing bosses, a shaft for the reel supported in said bosses, spring means for turning the reel for Winding a cable thereon, and an abutment for the load on the cable carried by the U-shaped part of the support.

9. A counter-balance of the character described, comprising a reel, a support therefor, said support consisting of two parts, one part being in the form of a casing enclosing one half of the reel, the other part being in the form of a U-shaped frame straddling the other half of the reel and secured to the first part, said parts Where they are secured together having bearing bosses, a shaft for the reel supported in said bosses, spring means for turning the reel for winding'a cable thereon, and a guard for the cable secured to the casing part on the under side thereof.

10. A counter-balance of the character described, comprising a reel, a support therefor, said support consisting of two parts, one part being in the form of a casing enclosing one half of the reel, the other part being in the form of a U-shaped frame straddling the other half of the reel and secured to the first part, said parts where they are secured together having bearing bosses, a shaft for the reel supported in said bosses, spring means for turning the reel for Winding a cable thereon, the cable being con nected at one end to the reel and the other end to'the casing part of the support to provide a loop in the cable'exterior of the support, a load carrying element carried by the cable by having a sheave in the loop thereof, and an abutment for the sheave on the U-shaped part of the support.

11. A counter-balance of the character described, comprising a reel, a supporting shaft for the reel, a plurality of springs, one acting through the other to turn the reel, and means independent of the shaft for adjusting the tension of the springs simultaneously, said means by the scribed, comprising a reel, a support therefor, a plurality of springs, one connected with the reel and acting one through the other for turning the reel, said reel having a cable carrying portion arranged substantially parallel to the axis of the reel, and a pair of members carried support on opposite sides of the cable adjacent where it leaves the reel and extending outward from the support for causing the cable to wind in successive layers on the reel.

REINHOLD A. NORLING. 

